The boy, Flint, paused as he heard that question, looking extremely conflicted. It looked as if he was fighting an internal war against himself. The expressions he made were so funny that they made her almost giggle.
As if finally making up his mind, he spoke with a resolute expression.
"No, I can't take advantage of your—"
Growl!
But the loud growl coming from his stomach stopped him mid-speech.
His cheeks slowly began turning red as he quickly hid his face with both hands.
'Adorable, really.'
Seeing the small child desperately trying to hide his face in embarrassment, she felt refreshed. Most children she had met until now were all children of noble families. They didn't act like children at all; they were too well-mannered and calm. They talked about things that sounded strange coming from children.
Which was why seeing a child act like a child was very much fun for her.
"Come, Big sis will buy you something tasty."
She grabbed his wrist and once again pulled him along as she walked.
"Big sis? You look the same age as me. Besides, I don't have any siblings."
They reached a small shop where strange-looking fruits were being sold. They looked strange because she had never seen them before. They certainly didn't look anything like the fruits from Earth.
She picked four large slices of a fruit that looked extremely juicy. Its appearance was similar to a slice of watermelon, only the green outer layer was, instead, silvery white, and the part underneath was grey instead of red. It even sparkled, as if glitter had been sprinkled all over its surface.
"Here you go."
She handed three slices to Flint and took one slice for herself. Standing in the shade near a relatively empty corner, she began eating her slice.
"Wait, you never asked the store owner for the price. What if it's more expensive than you can afford?"
She waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about it."
Although she didn't actually know how much money was in her pouch, she was sure that she could easily buy that entire shop. So there was barely any need to stress over the price of a single fruit.
Although he still looked concerned, he didn't ask her any questions. The atmosphere turned quiet as they both silently ate their own slices.
"So? Where do you live?"
She asked as she finished eating her slice.
Although he had looked like a beggar when they first met, she was now certain that he actually wasn't one. His behavior, his mannerisms, and the way he spoke didn't seem like the behavior of a beggar. Although, since she had never actually seen a beggar, her judgment was unreliable.
Still, something told her she was correct. Like a gut feeling.
The boy, once again, hesitated, but looking at the slices of fruit in his hand, he sighed in defeat.
"I… don't really know, not by name. I only know that my house is near the border, close to the fields."
Evangeline frowned.
'Close to the fields? But there are no fields here, though.'
Growing up, Evangeline had been taught about a lot of things related to the world–especially things related to Florivelle territory. And based on that knowledge, there were no fields in this territory.
Although this was a county, all they possessed was a single, small city. There was simply not enough land to meaningfully cultivate crops, so his father had decided to push for crafting and blacksmithing as the city's primary source of income.
All the food and grain were imported from other territories.
'Fields, huh? The fields closest to here would be in the viscount's territory.'
Did that mean he had somehow crossed the border and survived in another territory? But the boy barely looked ten.
Now that she thought about it, the boy was surrounded by mystery. Why was he in that condition when she found him? He didn't look in any physical pain, so what had caused him to become like that? She wanted to know.
But one look at him was enough for her to tell that this wasn't the right moment to ask such questions.
Having nothing more she could ask, she stopped thinking about the topic. But just when she was about to go pay for the fruit, she suddenly remembered something.
The moment she was running after him, he suddenly tripped. She remembered that she had covered a significant distance in a single leap. She had also felt a strange sensation back then. The sensation of the energy present inside her body flowing into her feet.
Evangeline sharpened her focus, trying to recall that feeling. She raised one hand and commanded the energy within her to gather in her palm.
At first, it felt really awkward and hard. But within a few attempts, she got an idea of what she was supposed to do. With an internal command, mana began gathering in her palm. A glowing blue energy began to condense in her hand, slowly turning into a sphere.
'Is this how I'm supposed to do it?'
She didn't know for sure since nobody properly taught her. But she had an inkling that it was indeed the case. She had learned how to manipulate mana on her own. She had no idea how big an achievement it was.
'Am I some genius? Or is this nothing special?'
She wanted to know.
"Aaahh!!! A-agh.. N-no…"
Hearing Flint's sudden shout, she turned to him. He had fallen backward on the ground, trembling as he looked at her.
His face had turned significantly pale, his eyes were shaking intensely as his gaze was focused on her hand.
…Or more precisely, the bluish energy gathered on her palm.
"Haah… Haah… Haah…"
'Oh no, he's having a panic attack.'
His breathing was becoming rougher with each passing moment. Standing frozen, her mind was in turmoil.
'What do I do?'
She had been a patient once, not the doctor. She didn't know how to handle such a situation. She looked around to ask someone for help, but there was barely anyone around. And the few people who were present nearby only stared at Flint awkwardly.
It was clear they didn't know what to do either.
She looked at him as he gasped for breath, and his eyes were slowly losing focus.
'I-I, I need to calm him down somehow.'
But the moment she tried to approach him, Flint backed away in terror as the trembling of his small body intensified.
"N-no! Stay away from me!!!"
As he shouted, his eyes weren't focused on her; they were looking into the empty air. Evangeline finally understood–Flint was hallucinating.
Rushing forward, she held him in a tight hug. He flailed his arms around in panic, trying to break free. Struggling through his desperate flailing, she began patting him on the head softly.
"Calm down, calm down. It's me. Nobody will hurt you, so don't be scared."
Slowly, his struggle died down until he stopped completely. The haziness in his eyes slowly cleared as his trembling body grew still. Still, held tightly in a hug, his gaze met Evangeline's.
She smiled at him, though she knew that her smile didn't look very bright at this moment. Flint simply lowered his gaze.
A crowd was slowly beginning to gather nearby, possibly because of his scream. They both stood up from the ground, brushing off the dirt from their clothes, and walked away under the gaze of the onlookers.
After a while, they both sat on a wooden bench near the road, quietly looking at the passing crowd. They both knew what needed to be said, yet neither of them tried to speak.
In the end, the one to break the silence was Evangeline.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, you know."
"No! It's not like that. You… deserve to know that much after helping me to this extent."
With that, Flint began reciting everything that led to him being here. He mentioned how he heard about the conflict between the viscount and the count. He told how a soldier broke into his home and killed his father. And he mentioned… how he ran away without looking back.
"After that, everything is hazy. I don't quite understand how I got here, or how I've survived until this point. I would've continued to live that way, if not for you."
He lowered his head into a bow.
"I don't really know you, and it's probably the same for you as well. But I will never forget your kindness."
Evangeline didn't respond to his heartfelt words of gratitude. She didn't smile or even give a nod of acknowledgment. She only continued to look at him quietly.
But inside, she felt that her heart was breaking into pieces. She felt a tightness in her chest.
"You…" She pursed her lips. "You don't need to act tough, you know. It hurts, doesn't it? It's okay, you can cry now, no need to hold back."
The boy froze.
A single tear rolled off his cheek.
Then, more tears came down. Soon, it was like a dam had broken. He cried, he screamed, he sobbed. Evangeline watched him quietly.
After a long time, his sobs grew quiet.
"Mother, I-I'm sorry for calling you a demon. You were the kindest person I've ever seen, the kindest person I'll ever see. Father, I've always felt safe because you were there. But now that you're gone, it's scary. B-but I promise, I'll live. I'll continue living, for both of you!"
Evangeline's lips curved into a soft smile.
"How do you feel now?"
Flint turned to her. He was trying his best to smile, although she could easily see the quivering of his lips.
"I feel much better."